The following lists events that happened during 2019 in the Republic of Singapore.
Incumbents President: Halimah Yacob Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong
Events January 1 January The National Environment Agency starts enforcing a smoking ban in Orchard Road. At the same time, the smoking age increases to 19. Jurong Central Plaza is officially opened after the previous Hawker Centre located at the same precinct in Jurong West was on fire in 2016. 2 January The registration of e-scooters has started. In response to the new instrument landing system procedures at Seletar Airport, a permanently restricted area in the delegated airspace over Pasir Gudang by Malaysia becomes operational. It would have impacted normal, existing air traffic in the airspace above Johor and Singapore. The restricted airspace and ILS procedures are suspended on 8 January after discussions between the two countries. On 25 January, the suspensions are extended to 31 March. 7 January Platinium Dogs Club's owner is arrested by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA; now the National Parks Board (NParks) after AVA's dissolution) after a series of alleged animal abuse cases causing one death. The premises were raided by authorities last month. The Thomson–East Coast MRT line will have a station in Founders' Memorial, which will open in 2027. The Ministry of Health announced it will take over ElderShield from Aviva, NTUC Income and Great Eastern Life in 2021. 10 January – Go-Jek launched in Singapore. 12 January library@harbourfront is officially opened after moving from Bukit Merah. Located in VivoCity, the library places an emphasis on digitalisation. Singapore launched the Year Towards Zero Waste campaign in a bid to raise awareness on waste issues, with a zero-waste masterplan soon. Chen Si Jie wins $193,400 in the long-running MediaCorp Channel 8 game show The Sheng Siong Show, surpassing Low Soh Kim's winnings of $162,550 (previously won on 18 February 2017) as the all-time biggest winner in the show's history. 13 January – The Ten Mile Junction LRT station on the Bukit Panjang LRT line becomes the first operational train station in Singapore to permanently close. 14 January CapitaLand will acquire Ascendas-Singbridge in an S$11b deal, creating Asia's largest real estate company. The acquisition, subsequently approved on 12 April by 90% of shareholders is completed on 30 June and unified the next day. The Payment Services Act is passed to streamline payment laws and puts a cap on money in e-wallets. During the O Level results, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board reveals that 32 Additional Mathematics Paper 2 exam scripts which belonged to students from two secondary schools went missing in the United Kingdom while being transported for marking. That happened after the bag containing the scripts was mistakenly taken by a passenger. On-screen marking of scripts may be used more often after this incident. 15 January SingHealth cyberattack: The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) fines IHiS S$750,000 and SingHealth S$250,000 for not doing enough to safeguard personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act, the largest imposed on data breaches. Separately, more measures are announced to strengthen the cybersecurity of healthcare, including separating the Ministry of Health's chief information security officer (MOH CISO) and IHiS cybersecurity director into two separate posts, better defences, piloting a "Virtual Browser" and continuation of Internet Surfing Separation. Contributions to the National Electronic Health Record will be deferred. Changes to the Misuse of Drugs Act are passed to emphasise rehabilitation and protect children from drugs. 18 January Food products with alcohol, including alcoholic ice cream, can be sold after 10:30 pm following an exemption under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act. This comes after FairPrice restricted the sale of such ice cream to comply with the Act, prompting a review that was announced on 25 October 2018. Surbana Jurong starts building its new global headquarters in the future Jurong Innovation District, located close to Nanyang Technological University. When completed in 2021, the headquarters will research on urban solutions. MINDEF announced that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is identified as the most suitable replacement for the F-16s, which face obsolescence beyond 2030. A small number of F-35s will be purchased for evaluation before full-scale deployment. 19 January – The Decathlon Singapore Lab store at Stadium Drive in Kallang located near Singapore Sports Hub is officially opened, and operated by both Decathlon and Sports Singapore. 21 January – The Singapore Philatelic Museum and Peranakan Museum will undergo enhancement works. 23 January – Former Mediacorp actor and national serviceman Aloysius Pang dies due to injuries sustained when the barrel of a self-propelled Howitzer was lowered while he was repairing it with two other SAF personnel during Exercise Thunder Warrior in Waiouru Military Camp, New Zealand. It was the fourth fatality related to military training in less than two years. 25 January The first phase of the Cross Island MRT line is unveiled with 12 stations. To be completed by 2029, the line spans from Changi to Bishan, passing through Loyang, Pasir Ris, Defu, Hougang and Ang Mo Kio. Design Orchard opens to the public with 61 local brands. 26 January A brief power outage affects Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh and Thomson. The outage is traced to a fire in the Bright Hill substation. Wisma Geylang Serai opens in Geylang.
28 January The Singapore Bicentennial celebrations are launched to commemorate the founding of modern Singapore by Stamford Raffles 200 years ago. Ministry of Health reveals that personal data of about 14,200 people with HIV have been illegally disclosed. 30 January Plans are unveiled to revamp Orchard Road. Grab announced its new headquarters in one-north, to be ready by 2020. Construction began on 29 March with a new function to plan journeys and pay for public transportation fares to be launched soon.
February 1 February New speed limits for personal mobility devices (PMDs) take effect, among other changes. Mediacorp becomes YouTube's strategic content partner. As part of the partnership, Channel NewsAsia is now live on YouTube 24/7. Pedra Branca is now included in East Coast GRC. 7 February – After several service lapses, SingPost is fined $100,000 for failing local delivery standards in 2017. 9 February – The Polaris vessel collided with the Pireas tanker in Singapore territorial waters off Tuas. 10 February – A police officer, SSGT Salinah Mohamed was knocked down by a car while crossing the junction of Maxwell Road and Shenton Way. She succumbed to her injuries in hospital four days later. 14 February Mediacorp's Internet Television website Toggle collaborates with HBO GO. A power outage strikes central Singapore caused by a fire resulting from an equipment failure that led to an electric flashover at a substation at Carlton Hotel. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) suspends ofo's licence after failing to comply with new rules. ofo is required to remove all bicycles by 13 March. 15 February Digital Defence is unveiled as the sixth pillar of Total Defence. A-Level graduates will now be allowed to seek exemption from some modules and start polytechnic earlier, saving six months. 16 February – Ministry of Health reveals errors in subsidies given to 7,700 Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) patients in 2018, caused by issues in the computer systems administered by NCS Pte Ltd. 17 February – Oasis Terraces is officially opened in Punggol as HDB's first new-generation neighbourhood centre after having its soft openings on 15 June 2018. Five more such centres are in the pipeline with existing centres to be upgraded. 18 February The Merdeka Generation Package is unveiled to support Singaporeans who contributed during the Merdeka era. The first Type 218SG submarine, Invincible is launched in Germany, equipped with new technologies and better able to handle Singapore waters. The diesel-electric submarine is the first new submarine to be acquired by Singapore and will only be delivered in 2021. The names of three other submarines are revealed too, with delivery by 2024. 22 February – Razer Inc. starts construction on its new one-north headquarters with plans for more staff in future. A new digital real estate start-up called Echo Base is launched too, with its first smart city project in the region to be developed soon. 24 February - Buangkok Square shopping mall in Buangkok, Singapore is officially opened.
March 1 March Singapore will initially purchase four F-35 jets to replace the aging F-16s by the 2030s, with an option for eight more planes should Singapore proceed. Plans are outlined for a future SAF, including multi-role combat vessels with drones, a next-generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle, upgraded Leopard tanks, an expanded network of optical sensors and coastal radars, and unmanned surface vessels from 2020. There will be new training facilities at the expanded Queensland training area, and a new Cyber NSF scheme. The Defence Cyber Security Centre has been set up since 2018, and Defence Cyber Incident Response Teams will be created to respond to cyber incidents. An NS Hub will be built near MINDEF's headquarters by 2023, consolidating all NS-related services like medical checks, an army mart and IPPT tests in it as opposed to being scattered currently across Singapore. However, the current Fitness Conditioning Centres will remain open even with the new Hub. The Hub will be high-tech too. 4 March A new Agri-Food Innovation Park will be built in Sungei Kadut by 2021. Singapore will roll out 5G networks by 2020. 5 March Nanyang Technological University and Volvo launch the world's first full-sized driverless electric bus for trial. The Ministry of Education announced that streaming will be replaced by Subject-Based Banding where 3 bands (G1, G2 and G3) will replace Normal (Tech), Normal (Academic) and Express respectively. At Sec 4, there will be a common exam starting from 2027 with students graduating with a common certificate, replacing the O Levels and N Levels. These changes will take effect in 2024. Also in are rebuilding and upgrading works for 4 junior colleges and the formation of Uplift Office to help disadvantaged students in Singapore. The Ministry of Social and Family Development will launch Community Link to help those living in rental flats, as well as a pilot Localised Community Network. 6 March The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced a free opt-in HPV vaccine programme for Secondary 1 girls to prevent cervical cancer. More accurate cervical cancer tests and non-fasting health screenings are on the cards too. In addition, two polyclinics in Serangoon and Tengah will be built by 2025, and a new green CHAS card will be launched from November 2019 for those with chronic health conditions. Existing CHAS cards will also have more benefits too. A proposed ban on trans fat is announced too. The former Bukit Timah Fire Station will be turned into a visitors centre and recreation node for people traveling along the Rail Corridor and link nature areas. More of such nodes will be developed progressively. 7 March The Infocomm Media Development Authority cancels black metal band Watain's concert in Singapore at the last minute after the Ministry of Home Affairs cited "security concerns". A petition calling for Watain and Soilwork to be banned from performing in Singapore begun the previous day gathering more than 16,000 signatures. Hume MRT station will be built by 2025 following plans for the refurbished Bukit Timah Fire Station and a future NS Hub. At the same time, there are no plans to extend the MRT to Tuas South and Jurong Island for now.